mayo 2, 2017

The Venice Academy of Human Rights includes this year an opening lecture by Branko Milanović, the author of the most commented globalization chart: the so called ‘elephant chart’, first published in a 2012 World Bank working paper (see also his book Global Inequality: A New Approach for the Age of Globalization). A great start to a programme on ‘Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights as an Answer to Rising Inequalities’, which includes courses by Olivier De Schutter and other prestigious international lawyers. Below are the details of the programme. And yes, I know, this introduction is not needed -it’s in Venice!

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as an Answer to Rising Inequalities
Instead of “the end of history”, we have lived through a major financial crisis, including a debt crisis in Europe that is far from over, and we are currently witnessing threats to democratic governance both from outside and from within the democratic system. Whether these are only temporary setbacks in the global spread of liberal democracy and neoliberal capitalism has to been seen. However, it is reason to pause and reconsider the prospects for economic and social justice against the background of rising inequalities in the world.
The Venice Academy of Human Rights 2017, in co-operation with PluriCourts – Centre of Excellence for the Study of the Legitimate Roles of the Judiciary in the Global Order, looks at these developments from an interdisciplinary perspective that combines law, economics, politics and sociology. Lectures and seminars by the distinguished faculty discuss the question what role do human rights play in enabling and promoting social justice. Are human rights an effective tool for the promotion of economic and social equality? Do human rights impose limits to privatization of particular goods and services? How do human rights enable a just economic and social order? These are but some of the questions that participants of the Academy will discuss in an intense programme over ten days next summer.

Venice Academy of Human Rights
The Venice Academy of Human Rights is an international programme of excellence for human rights education, research and debate. It forms part of the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC).
The Academy offers interdisciplinary thematic programmes open to academics, practitioners, doctoral and master students with an advanced knowledge of human rights. Participants attend morning lectures, participate in discussion sessions and workshops and can exchange views, ideas and arguments with leading international scholars and experts. This includes the opportunity for a number of participants to present and discuss their own “work in progress” such as drafts of articles, chapters of books or doctoral theses and receive comments from faculty members and peers.
At the end of the programme, participants receive a Certificate of Attendance issued by the Venice Academy of Human Rights.